International

Obama says US will retaliate against Russian hacking

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday the United States will retaliate against Russian hacking aimed at interfering in the US election. “I think there is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections that we need to take action,” Obama told NPR radio. “And we will, at a time and place of our own choosing.” “Some of it may be explicit and publicized,” the president […]

All eyes on Ivanka role in Trump White House

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A month before Donald Trump becomes president, chattering classes in New York and Washington are abuzz with signs that his elegant daughter Ivanka will play an active role in his White House. Ivanka, currently vice president in the family business, and her real estate developer and publisher husband have been a constant presence by the president-elect’s side since his November 8 election victory. CNN reports that the 35-year-old mother […]

Yahoo hack shows data’s use for information warfare

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The 2013 hack affecting a billion Yahoo users shows how seemingly innocuous bits of data gleaned from cyber attacks can be exploited for espionage and information warfare, as well as for profit. The breach, disclosed Wednesday, is the largest on record and comes just months after Yahoo disclosed a separate attack in 2014 affecting data from 500 million users. On the surface, the trove […]

EU presses Russia on Syria and Ukraine

  by Danny Kemp Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — European Union leaders piled pressure on Russia on Thursday, urging the Kremlin to protect civilians in Syria while taking steps to save a historic cooperation pact with Ukraine and extending sanctions against Moscow. At the final summit of one of the most turbulent years in the EU’s six-decade history, the bloc’s 28 leaders also discussed preparations for Britain to become the first nation to […]

White House points finger at Putin over election hack

by Paul Handley Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House on Thursday pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s direct involvement in cyber attacks designed to impact the US election, dramatically upping the stakes in a dispute between the world’s leading nuclear powers. Publicly accusing Putin puts the White House under even greater pressure to respond forcefully to interference that may have swayed a tight November election between Republican President-elect […]

No planned changes to U.S. missile defense in South Korea – White House

WASHINGTON, United States (Reuter) — The White House on Thursday (December 15) said it was unaware of any planned changes to the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea despite recent political changes there. “I’m not aware of any change in plans for the deployment of this anti-ballistic missile battery in South Korea based on some of the political turmoil that we’ve seen in the Republic of Korea over the last couple of […]

Jury finds Dylann Roof guilty of federal hate crimes in South Carolina church shooting

SOUTH CAROLINA, United States (AFP) — Jurors in Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday (December 15) found white supremacist Dylann Roof guilty of 33 counts of federal hate crimes in a shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina that left nine people dead. Federal prosecutors had told the jury that Roof was driven by racial hatred when he gunned down members of the church during a Bible study, after months of meticulous planning, a […]

Facebook to roll out new tools to tackle fake news

CALIFORNIA, United States (AFP) — Facebook Inc said on Thursday (December 15) it will introduce tools to prevent fake news stories from spreading on its platform, an about-face in response to rising criticism that it did not do enough to combat the problem during the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election. The social network company has faced controversies throughout the year that involve its monitoring and policing of content produced by its 1.8 billion users. […]

The Brooklyn Nets were victorious and Filipino Heritage was celebrated at the Barclays Center.

By: Carlo Valdez What an exciting game to watch as the Lakers who are trying to win after a 7-game lose-streak continue their streak to 8 losses in a row to the Brooklyn Nets. The young team of the Lakers, who consist of 2nd year Jordan Clarkson, who is part Filipino, was not able to capitalize on their momentum in the third quarter when they outscored the Nets 33-23. The Nets rallied from behind with […]

First evacuations from rebel-held Aleppo

by Rim Haddad with Maya Gebeily in Beirut Agence France Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – A convoy of ambulances and buses left rebel territory in Aleppo on Thursday in the first evacuations under a deal for opposition fighters to leave the city after years of fighting. The rebel withdrawal will pave the way for President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to reclaim complete control of Syria’s second city, handing the regime its biggest victory in more than five […]

Mexico’s Colima volcano erupts into clear night sky

COLIMA, Mexico (Reuters) — Mexico’s Colima volcano continued with intense activity, spewing columns of gas and ash as well as incandescent material during five explosions between dusk on Tuesday (December 13) and early on Wednesday (December 14). Five overnight explosions were recorded with ash reaching between 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) to 2,000 (4,921 feet), which headed towards the west and southwest with ash falling in near-by communities, with most falling in Comala and the city […]

U.S. military officials prepare for presidential inauguration

WASHINGTON, United States (Reuters) — Military officials on Wednesday (December 14) briefed reporters on the planning underway ahead of next month’s presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017 Members of the Joint Task Force for the National Capitol Region displayed a large map with scale models of key points of interest for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump as the 45th Commander in Chief. Mock-ups of the U.S. Capitol, the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial […]